We Can Be Family
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day five hundred and fifty-eight: With the fact of her growing feelings for Emmett, Shelby spends more time with his daughter.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 26th cycle. Now cycle 27!_

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><p><strong>"We Can Be Family"<br>Shelby & Beth, Emmett & Joanie, Shelby/Emmett  
>Shelby &amp; Beth Series, sequel to "My Foolish Heart" <strong>

She had gotten around going into details on the subject with Joanie on that day, but it would only be a matter of time before she would come back and start asking questions or, worse, tell her father… As much as she didn't want to, Shelby knew she'd have to talk to her about it. As luck would have it, one weekend, Emmett had told her Joanie needed a new dress and shoes to go to her mother's wedding. Joanie was already dreading having to go, and the fact that Emmett was making her go hadn't exactly put him in her good graces. So, in her infinite wisdom, taking a page from the Tepley book of helpful neighbors, she had offered to take Joanie herself.

So off they went, Shelby, Beth, and Joanie, for a trip to the mall. Joanie had just dashed out of her house and over to Shelby's car without so much of a goodbye to her father, who stood at the door and waved to Shelby. She waved back, giving a silent look to say that everything would be fine. The car ride was fairly quiet, at least in the sense that Joanie wasn't talking to Shelby, although she did keep Beth company, talking to her…

Their first stop was to get her shoes, as Joanie informed Shelby she knew exactly which ones she wanted, and she had to make sure the dress she'd pick would match them. So they went and got the shoes. When Joanie presented the pair of black shoes, Shelby asked her if she was sure, but Joanie insisted, so they got the black shoes. By the time they went in for the dress, Beth was asleep in her carrier. Shelby stayed with her, as Joanie said she knew what she wanted, again, and would go get it to try on, with the shoes. She didn't even see her go by, but the next thing she knew…

"How does it look?" Joanie asked, and Shelby turned around. The shock was for two reasons. The first, of course, was seeing her in the dress, making her look so proper and grown from her twelve years of age. But then there was the other part, the color of the dress, black, like her shoes.

"Joanie…" Shelby tilted her head.

"What, it's fine," she looked to the mirror.

"No, I agree, the dress is nice, but you're going to a wedding… not a funeral." She didn't respond at first. "Right?" Shelby went up behind her, watching Joanie watch herself in the mirror.

"So what?" her voice was small.

"Hey…" Shelby put her hands on the girl's shoulders, hoping she'd turn to look at her. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to go," Joanie said, which Shelby expected. Before she could try and say something, the girl went on. "Do you know what I'm doing at Nicole's wedding?" she asked, calling her mother by her first name, as she tended to do. Again, she didn't let Shelby answer. "I'm attending. I'm not a flower girl, or a bridesmaid, or anything at all that's involved in the wedding, I'm just there. I'm her 'daughter' and I'm nothing. So what if I want to wear this, because apparently I might as well be dead to her…" Shelby had her arms wrapped around Joanie just as she'd started crying. To be honest, she was almost crying, too, though she held it back for Joanie's sake.

"Hey, it's okay," she whispered down to her, brushing her hair back as Joanie hung on to her. She was going to say 'at least she did invite you,' but she couldn't do that to her. Though what she did say instead did sound a bit wrong, right after she said it. "She's a piece of work that one…" Except for how wrong it felt, it rewarded her with a momentary laugh cutting through the girl's tears. Shelby pulled her back toward the bench where she'd set Beth's carrier, so she could sit and get Joanie to turn and face her. "You might not think it's right, but I think… I think you should go to the wedding." Joanie went to say something, but here it was Shelby who went on talking. "No, I know, you don't like being over there, and I really don't blame you, from the sound of it. Sometimes though, we don't have a choice, and it sucks, and we hate it the whole way, but it's just something that has to be done. You're going to have family there, right? From your mother's side? Any of them good?" Joanie thought about it.

"I guess Grams'll be there," she nodded. "She'd babysit me when I was little, and she keeps knitting me slippers and mittens."

"She sounds good," Shelby smirked, and Joanie shrugged, smiling a bit. "So just stick with her." This wasn't exactly the best of solutions for her, but it was better than nothing, so she sighed and nodded. "And if you really can't take it anymore, you call me and I'll come get you," she gave her a smile, and there Joanie lit up, nodding and nearly diving into Shelby's arms. She caught her, letting out a breath. "So do you think you want to try another dress?" she asked once she'd pulled back.

"Yeah… I saw a light blue one, kind of turquoise…" she sniffled, wiping at her eyes.

"With those eyes of yours, that's perfect," Shelby told her, so Joanie went to get it and change. Shelby let out a breath, running a hand over her face. Saying her heart went out to that girl would have been an understatement. It wasn't just Emmett that had become part of her life, it was Joanie too, but on a whole other side of it. Little by little she had found herself caring for the girl like… Well… She looked back to check on Beth, expecting to find her still asleep, but instead she was very calmly staring at her. "Did we wake you?" Shelby smiled down at her, offering her finger for her daughter to take. "I know someone who will be very happy to see that," she told her, pulling her from the carrier and setting her in her lap, just as the voice was heard once more.

"She's awake," Joanie realized with a grin as she emerged from the dressing room. Shelby looked up, and now her reaction was one hundred percent of the first type, not unlike with the black dress, although maybe there was a percentage in there that could belong to 'maternal pride' whether she realized it or not.

"Now that's much better," Shelby told her, getting up again as Joanie looked in the mirror. Shelby stood behind her, Beth in her arms, and… seeing the three of their reflections together like this, it was just… like a portrait. She saw it, and she knew Joanie did too, especially from what she said next.

"While I'm over there, you know, it might make me feel better if you were keeping my dad company. You know, 'cause he'll be all alone."

"Oh, now look at you," Shelby replied, as though going 'wow.' Joanie shrugged innocently.

"Come on, you like him, I know you do, and you know I know you do."

"It's not that easy," she assured her.

"But then you could be my…" She stopped, like she didn't want to hear herself say it and not see Shelby have the reaction she would hope for. She knew what she was going to say though, and even just knowing what she'd been about to say, it tore her defences down in an instant. She already sympathized so much for her, for her situation with her mother, and if she was going to be honest with herself at the least, she knew for how much Joanie may have seen her as a mother, Shelby saw her as a daughter… It wasn't how she'd expected things to go, and she certainly didn't seek it out, but… she knew she cared for her well-being and her happiness as much as she cared for Beth's.

"You know…" she started when Joanie came out again in her own clothes, making a point of highlighting the fact that she tended to use the expression a lot, which made her smirk. "This whole thing is still… really new to me, with Beth, and being a mother." Joanie nodded. "And sometimes I do kind of worry that she might not get everything she needs, more than feedings, and baths, and lullabies, but… just in life. But you know what I think I've figured out today?" Joanie shook her head. Shelby smiled, handing her the baby. "She's got someone else looking out for her… just like a sister." Joanie was just beaming, looking at Beth. "For the rest… You'll have to give me more time, okay?"

"Yeah…" Joanie nodded, understanding. Shelby nodded back, gathering the blue dress and the bag with the shoes, along with the empty carrier, so they could head to the cash register. "You should rent a movie, while I'm at the wedding…" she suggested.

"Joanie…"

"He likes cowboy movies…"

"Oh, I'm sure he does. But we're not talking about that, right?"

"Right…" Joanie trailed off. "And popcorn!"

"Joanie!" She laughed.

THE END

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><p><strong>AN: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
><strong>**In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
><strong>**********always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!******** **


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